Morocco.

The best café in Marrakech. Rooftop overlooking Place des Épices (Rahba Kedima), Berber breakfast, lemon mint juice, fresh tagines. Popular but justified — the food is genuinely good and the view down into the spice square is the best in the medina.

Tip: Go at sunset for the rooftop. Order the Berber breakfast (msemen, khobz, jam, eggs, mint tea) — it's enough for two.

One of the best local restaurants in Marrakech — tagines and couscous that taste like a Moroccan grandmother made them, because she did. Inside the medina. A$8-A$15 a meal. No tourist mark-up, no hassle.

Tip: Order the lamb prune tagine. Don't skip the bread — they bake it fresh in the morning.

Local café institution. Mint tea, fresh pastries, breakfast that actually feeds you. Where Marrakchis go before tourists wake up.

Tip: Open from 7am. Skip the bigger touristed cafés — this is what locals call breakfast.

Iconic local street food. Cheap, busy, no English menu, no problem — point at what someone else is eating. The closest you'll get to a proper Marrakchi lunch break.

Tip: Cash only. Lunch (12pm–3pm) is when it's at its best. Bring 50 MAD and you'll eat very well.

Morocco has many ATMs but most charge tourist fees + give worse rates. Al Barid Bank (the post office bank) gives the best rate, lowest fee, and won't pull the dynamic-currency-conversion trick on you. Withdraw the max (2,000-3,000 MAD per transaction) to amortise the per-pull fee.

Tip: Locations all over the medina + Gueliz. Always choose 'Continue without conversion' if it asks — pick MAD, never AUD.

The main square — UNESCO listed for its 'intangible cultural heritage'. Snake charmers + monkey handlers by day (avoid posing — they'll demand 200 MAD). At sunset the food stalls go up — orange juice carts, lamb head, grilled sardines, snail soup. Stall 14 + Stall 32 are the long-runners.

Tip: Eat at one of the busy local stalls, not the ones with English menus + photos. Be ready for the touts — friendly 'no thank you' is enough. Free, of course.

Two 19th-century / 16th-century palace complexes within walking distance. Bahia: tile + cedar craftsmanship at its peak. Saadian Tombs: rediscovered in 1917 after being sealed for 300 years. ~A$8 entry each, 1hr each. Pair with Le Jardin Secret for a full afternoon.

Cobalt-blue garden + cactus collection + small museum + adjacent YSL museum. ~A$18 combined ticket, books out — pre-book online. Get there at 9am or 4pm — middle of day is crowded.

Tip: Skip the YSL Museum if you're not into fashion — the garden is the headline. The Berber Museum inside the garden is excellent for context.

Hammam Mouassine is the local hammam — A$8 entry, bring your own kit (savon noir, kessa glove, towel). Public bathing, gender-segregated by hours. La Maison Arabe is the riad spa version — A$80-A$150 for a full hammam + massage. Pick based on whether you want authentic or pampered.

Tip: Do the local one once. The kessa scrub takes off skin you didn't know you had. Wear modest swimwear, leave valuables in your riad.

1.5hr south of Marrakech into the High Atlas foothills. Berber villages, a 7-tier waterfall walk, lunch by the river. Hire a grand taxi for the day (~A$40 split 4-6 people) or join a group tour (~A$25/person).

Tip: Avoid the saffron + argan oil 'cooperative' stops the tours all include — pure tourist trap. Tell the driver you only want the village + waterfall walk.